Huawei has today announced its latest mid-range smartphone to compete with the likes of Vivo and Realme called the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 . As with some recent smartphones in the Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 bracket, the Y9 Prime also comes with a pop-up selfie camera giving the phone a notch-less display.
Talking about specs the Y9 Prime has a 6.59-inch Full View Vivid IPS LCD Display. Apart from that the device is powered by the company’s Kirin 710 octa-core chipset and has a single 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant. The pop-up selfie camera has a 16 MP sensor while on the back we spot a triple-camera layout with 16MP+8MP+2MP sensors having f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4 aperture respectively.
At a price of Rs 15,990 the device is competing with the recently launched Vivo Z1 Pro (review) , Realme X and the older Galaxy A50 (Review) smartphones. Since we have not reviewed the device, the following piece will concern only the specs of the device versus the specs of its competing devices. Stay tuned for a full review of the device soon.
Smartphone | Huawei Y9 Prime | Realme X | Vivo Z1 Pro | Galaxy A50 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display Size (inch) | 6.59 | 6.53 | 6.53 | 6.4 |
Resolution (pixels) | 1080 x 2340 | 1080 x 2340 | 1080 x 2340 | 1080 x 2340 |
Pixel Density (PPI) | 391 | 394 | 395 | 403 |
Display Type | LTPS IPS LCD | AMOLED | AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
Dimensions(mm) | 163.5 x 77.3 x 8.8 | 161.2 x 76 x 8.6 | 162.4 x 77.3 x 8.9 | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 |
Weight (gm) | 196.8 | 191 | 201 | 166 |
Dual SIM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
SIM Type | Dual SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
Connectivity Types | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
Processor | Kirin 710 | Snapdragon 710 | Snapdragon 712 | Exynos 9610 |
CPU Cores | Octa-core | Octa-core | Octa-core | Octa-core |
CPU Clock Speed (GHz) | 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 | 2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver | 2x2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 | 4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 |
GPU | Mali-G51 | Adreno 616 | Adreno 616 | Mali-G72 MP3 |
RAM | 4 | 4, 6 GB | 4, 6 GB | 4, 6 GB |
Ruggedness | — | — | — | — |
On-Board Memory | 128 GB | 64, 128 GB | 128 GB | 64, 128 GB |
Expandable Memory | Yes, up to 1 TB | — | Yes, up to 256 GB | Yes, up to 1 TB |
Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Primary Camera | 16 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP | 48 MP, f/1.7 + 5 MP, f/2.4 | 16 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP | 25 MP, f/1.7 + 8 MP, f/2.2 + 5 MP, f/2.2 |
Optical Image Stabilization | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Camera Array | Triple | Dual | Triple | Triple |
Autofocus System | PDAF | PDAF | PDAF | PDAF |
Secondary Camera | 16 MP | 16 MP, f/2.0 | 32 MP, f/2.0 | 25 MP, f/2.0 |
Video Capture | 1080p@30fps | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS), 1080p@120fps, 720p@960fps | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
Flash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OS Version | Android 9.0 (Pie) | Android 9.0 (Pie) | Android 9.0 (Pie) | Android 9.0 (Pie) |
AI (Smart Assistant) | Google Assistant | Google Assistant | Google Assistant | Google Assistant |
GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
Bluetooth | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
NFC | No | No | No | Yes |
Infrared | No | No | No | No |
Fingerprint Scanner | Yes, rear-mounted | Yes, under display | Yes, rear-mounted | Yes, under display |
3.5mm jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Radio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
USB Type | Type-C 1.0 | Type-C 1.0 | microUSB | Type-C 1.0 |
USB Standard | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 |
Battery (mAh) | 4,000 mAh | 3765 mAh | 5000 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
Fast charging | Yes, 10W | Yes, 20W | Yes, 18W | Yes, 15W |
Colors | Emerald Green , Sapphire Blue | Steam white, Punk Blue | Sonic Blue, Sonic Black, Mirror Black | Black, White, Blue, Coral |
Prices in India | Rs 15,990 | Rs 16,990 | Starts at Rs 14,990 | Starts at Rs 18490 |
Verdict
On paper, it appears all the devices except for the Galaxy A50 are nearly identical. They have the nearly bezel-less display and in the case of the Realme X, also the pop-up camera. The display on Y9 Prime happens to be an IPS LCD while the competition offers an AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner. The Z1 Pro and Realme X come with a 48 MP sensor which is not present on the Y9 Prime, although we will have to review the device to be sure if that is indeed a real drawback for the phone. The Y9 Prime seems to be an overall holistic device which is on par with all the latest offerings in the price segment. Our full review will reveal how well does the device do in real life.